Which Countries Can Enter China Visa-Free (2026)

65 nationalities can enter mainland China without a visa in 2026. They arrive under two different legal instruments, and the difference decides whether their entry has an expiry date: 50 come under China's unilateral visa-free scheme, which currently runs to 31 December 2026, and 15 under bilateral mutual-exemption treaties, which have none. A further 6 — including the United States — get only the 240-hour transit route, and everyone else needs a visa.

The full list, by region

Every nationality below can enter mainland China with no application and no fee. The number is the maximum stay per entry; the treaty marker means entry rests on a bilateral agreement rather than China's unilateral policy — those have no expiry date.

Rendered from the same dataset as our visa checker, so this list cannot drift from the per-country pages. Each name links through to its own page there, with entry ports and the exact notice behind the rule.

Who is not on the list

The gap that surprises people most is the United States. American passport holders have no visa-free entry to mainland China at all — they need a tourist (L) visa, or the 240-hour visa-free transit if they are genuinely passing through to a third country. The UK and Canada were in exactly that position until 17 February 2026.

6 nationalities have transit but no visa-free entry: Czech Republic, Lithuania, United States, Mexico, Indonesia, Ukraine. For them the transit policy is not a convenience — it is the only way into China without applying for something first.

Changelog: how the list grew

The unilateral scheme started as a six-country trial and quadrupled in two years. Every date, with the notice behind it:

The 15 treaty countries are not in that sequence because they never joined a Chinese policy — their agreements were signed separately, some decades ago. San Marino's dates from 1985; Singapore's took effect on 9 February 2024, Thailand's on 1 March 2024.

What happens after 31 December 2026

Nobody outside the Chinese government knows, and any page that tells you otherwise is guessing. What can be said is that the scheme has been extended twice — first to the end of 2025, then to the end of 2026 — and that each extension arrived roughly a month before the previous deadline, bundled with new countries rather than announced on its own.

Two nationalities sit outside that clock entirely. Russia runs to 31 December 2027, and Brunei has no end date at all — the only nationality whose visa-free entry to China is open-ended. The 15 treaty countries are also unaffected: a bilateral agreement is not something China's unilateral policy can expire.

If you are booking a 2027 trip on a unilateral passport, the honest planning answer is to watch for the extension rather than assume it. We re-check this daily and date every change in the log above; the alternative is a visa application you may not need.

Frequently asked questions

How many countries can enter China visa-free in 2026?

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Sixty-five nationalities can enter mainland China without a visa. Fifty of them hold entry under China's unilateral visa-free scheme, which currently runs to 31 December 2026, and fifteen enter under bilateral mutual-exemption treaties, which have no expiry date. The two groups are decided by different instruments and appear on different official lists, which is why no single government page shows all sixty-five.

Does visa-free entry to China expire at the end of 2026?

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For the unilateral group, yes — as it stands the policy runs to 31 December 2026, and it has been extended twice already (most recently in November 2025). Russia runs to 31 December 2027 and Brunei has no end date at all. The fifteen treaty countries are unaffected: a bilateral agreement is not a policy China sets an expiry on. We re-check the dataset daily and will date any extension here.

Can US citizens enter China visa-free?

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No. The United States is the largest country not on either list. US passport holders need a tourist (L) visa for an ordinary trip, or can use the 240-hour visa-free transit if they are genuinely passing through China to a third country with a confirmed onward ticket. Canada and the UK were in the same position until 17 February 2026, when both were added to the visa-free list.

How long can I stay in China without a visa?

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30 days per entry for almost every nationality on the unilateral list. The treaty countries vary by agreement: Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina allow 90 days in any 180, Armenia 90 days, Belarus 30 days per entry with a 90-day annual ceiling, and the rest 30 days. The cap is per entry rather than per year — leaving mainland China and returning starts a fresh count, though very frequent back-to-back entries can be questioned at the border.

What is the difference between unilateral visa-free and a mutual exemption treaty?

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A unilateral policy is granted by China alone and can be changed or withdrawn by China alone, which is why it carries an expiry date. A mutual exemption treaty is a bilateral agreement covering both countries' citizens, and it has no expiry. Practically, both let you walk in without applying for anything; the difference matters when you are planning a trip beyond 2026, or wondering why Singapore and Thailand never appear on China's published visa-free list yet clearly enter freely.

Do I still need an onward or return ticket for visa-free entry?

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Border officers may ask for proof of onward travel within your permitted stay, so carry a return or onward booking. This is a lighter requirement than the 240-hour transit policy, which formally requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country before it will stamp you in. Under visa-free entry you may fly home rather than onward.

Does visa-free entry cover Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan?

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No. All three are separate jurisdictions with their own entry rules, and China's visa-free policies apply to mainland China only. Hong Kong and Macau run their own visa-free schemes covering many nationalities, and Taiwan has a separate permit system. A trip that mixes the mainland with Hong Kong crosses a border in both directions.

What can I actually do on a visa-free entry?

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Tourism, business meetings, visiting family or friends, exchange visits, and transit. Work, study on a degree programme, and journalism all require the matching visa (Z, X and J respectively) arranged in advance — the visa-free schemes do not cover them regardless of how short the stay is.

Related

• Visa requirement checker — your nationality, with entry ports and the notice behind the rule.
• China 240-hour visa-free transit — the route in for the 6 nationalities without visa-free entry.
• China visa for US citizens — the biggest nationality still outside both schemes.
• Already visa-free, planning the trip: UK citizens, Canadians, Australians.
• China arrival card — everyone fills one in, visa-free included.